Jayden Daniels has infused hope into the Washington Commanders.
The No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner has led Washington to a 2-1 start, headlined by a Week 3 victory on the road over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Related: Jayden Daniels among Tom Brady’s ‘3 Stars of Week 3’]
Daniels’ rookie season is among the most anticipated for any quarterback in Washington’s history, but head coach Dan Quinn doesn’t want him feeling that pressure.
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“I definitely understand our fan base has been waiting for the franchise QB, but I also don’t want Jayden feeling any ghosts, making sure he understands there’s only one name on the back of that jersey and that’s for him,” Quinn said on Tuesday, according to ESPN.
Quinn also expressed that he doesn’t want Daniels comparing himself “to anybody but him because he’s still growing.”
Kirk Cousins was Washington’s starting quarterback from 2015-2017. Since Cousins’ 2018 free agent departure, Washington has trotted out a different Week 1 quarterback in seven consecutive seasons: Alex Smith, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz, Sam Howell and Daniels. The franchise hasn’t appeared in the playoffs since 2020 and hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2005 season.
How bad does Jayden Daniels’ success make Caleb Williams look?
Daniels has totaled 664 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 111.8 passer rating this season, while completing an NFL-best 80.3% of his passes. He has also rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
In a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Daniels ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He then completed 79.3% of his passes in a Week 2 win over the New York Giants and threw for two touchdowns and completed 91.3% of his passes in Week 3.
“We know how important the position is here to him, to the organization, but we also wanted to make sure you do it in your own way,” Quinn later said about Daniels. “And we’ve really seen that.”
Next up for Daniels and the Commanders is a road matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
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